


Cabin Fever

by Apparentlynotreallyfinnish



Series: Kinktober 2019 [7]
Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: A/B/O, Alpha!Rhett, Alternate Universe, M/M, Omega!Link, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-12-21 01:58:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21066896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Apparentlynotreallyfinnish/pseuds/Apparentlynotreallyfinnish
Summary: I haven't read that much a/b/o fics and I actually didn't even know anything about this AU until like a month or two ago. This is my take on the genre/trope. I hope some of you will enjoy it. ^^





	Cabin Fever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't read that much a/b/o fics and I actually didn't even know anything about this AU until like a month or two ago. This is my take on the genre/trope. I hope some of you will enjoy it. ^^

Link had been driving for a few hours when his car started to sputter and whine. 

It had already been a long day. He’d been at the Industrial Robotics and Automation Conference for the past two days. The programme had been interesting enough, but the bed in the little bed-and-breakfast the company had put Link up in had been lumpy and creaky. Link was usually a fairly good sleeper; able to doze off almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. But in this particular bed it had been nigh impossible.

After the last presentation was over, Link had decided to check out early and drive home rather than stay for the evening party and another sleepless night. The decision was not made lightly. He knew he would get a scolding from his boss. Link had been pleasantly surprised when he was selected to attend the conference. He’d been vying for a promotion for a few years now and being sent to Vancouver showed him that his hard work had been noticed. He could only hope his boss would understand that in his sleepless state, he wouldn’t have been a good representative for the company.

He still couldn’t help but feel conflicted about bailing. So, when his trusty little car decided to roll to a stop on the side of a snowy mountain, Link let out an uncharacteristically violent string of curses before dropping his forehead to rest against the steering wheel.

_This has to be the universe’s way of saying I should’ve stayed. I’m definitely being punished._

Link felt himself starting to spiral and immediately course-corrected. He took a deep breath, lifted his head and straightened his back. No need to start moping. This was just a little bump on the road. 

“Okay. Let’s look at this logically,” he said to himself. This was what he was good at; problem-solving was basically his whole job description.

There was gas in the tank – Link had been sure to top off before starting his drive home. Therefore, it had to be some kind of a mechanical problem. He knew nothing of cars, so popping the hood would not help him in the slightest. Time to call in reinforcements. With a sigh, Link took out his phone and dialed the number for road-side assistance. Right as the call connected, the screen went black. Link stared at the dead phone for a beat and drew in a sharp breath.

“No,” he whispered, desperately trying to get the screen to come back to life. “Oh, no. No-no-no-no-no… Work, goddamn it!”

In his desperation, Link slammed the phone against the steering wheel, cracking the screen. 

“For fuck’s sake,” he muttered, drawing in a ragged breath. His eyes started to prickle with tears.

_Oh, great. Nice going. Yeah, go ahead and cry. Like that’s gonna help..._

Link swallowed down the beginning of a sob and pressed the power button a few more times. He wasn’t surprised when the phone stayed dark and silent. 

His chest tightened as the severity of his situation dawned on him. He was in the middle of nowhere. He’d decided to take the less popular scenic route and he couldn’t even remember when he’d last seen another car. Furthermore, he’d been driving the winding road for at least half an hour without seeing any signs of civilization. _Except…_

His heart skipped a beat when he remembered. Not long ago, he’d passed a log cabin. Link had seen a glimpse of it at the far end of a narrow road forking from the main road and he was certain that there had been fresh tire tracks on the snow. Someone lived there.

Link turned to look behind him. _It wasn’t that far back, right?_ He’d just rounded the wide hill on his left. Not far at all by car, but by foot… It would be easy enough to follow the road back, but that would take a while. 

An idea struck him. He could just take a short cut! It would take ages to go all the way around the hill, but going over it – he’d surely be at the cabin in less than an hour.

Congratulating himself on the great plan, Link gathered his things. He grabbed his shoulder bag and packed his dead phone and its charger, a bottle of water and his wallet (just in case the resident of the cabin was hesitant to let him use their phone; he could give them compensation for their trouble). 

Link hadn’t been prepared for a trek, so he was wearing only a light winter jacket and jeans. He was already wearing his warmest cardigan under the jacket, so there was nothing more he could do. He wrapped a scarf around his neck and pulled up the hood of his jacket. He dug a pair of old leather gloves from the glove compartment. They’d help too. Link stared at his boots for a moment. They weren’t exactly meant for going off the beaten path, but they’d have to do since the only other option he had was dress shoes.

As prepared as he could get, Link got out the car and locked the doors. The weather was actually quite pleasant; crisp in a nice way, as there was barely any wind to make the cold harsh. Tiny flakes of snow drifted around him, making the scenery look idyllic and cozy. Link jogged to the other side of the road and hopped over a little ditch. The ground was covered in snow, but it was still early in the winter, so walking on it was not impossible.

Link hiked up the hill, breathing in the fresh mountain air and feeling surprisingly good about the whole situation. Sure, it was an inconvenience, but at least he got to have a tiny adventure and enjoy the scenery. Silver linings and all that.

While he walked, his mind wandered back to Thomas, a cute little thing with brown eyes, a button nose, and a shy smile. After the first day at the conference, they’d spent the evening having drinks at the hotel bar. Unlike Link’s, Thomas’ company had actually splurged and gotten him a room from the conference venue. Link had hoped he would invite him to his room by the end of the night, but to Link’s disappointment, he hadn’t. They’d parted with an awkward handshake and a promise to find each other the next day to sit together.

They’d done that and spent the day sitting side by side, inching closer by the hour, but the night had still ended the same way as the previous one. Link had had to admit to himself that Thomas was probably just friendly and not actually interested. This morning Thomas had found him again, and when Link had told him that he was not staying for the party, he’d looked surprisingly disappointed.

Before Link left, Thomas had asked for his number and blushed fiercely when Link had jokingly asked if it was for networking purposes or for personal use. Thomas hadn’t answered, but a little later, when Link sat in his car ready to leave, he noticed Thomas had put a little heart next to his own name when he’d saved his number on Link’s phone. Link almost stayed for the party after seeing it, but he’d already given up his room and didn’t want to force Thomas’ hand – he was obviously shy and wanted to go slowly.

There was a small warmth shimmering in Link’s chest, though. This could finally be the beginning of _something_. He was thinking of messaging Thomas when he got home; maybe inviting him for drinks sometime soon. They lived only an hour away from each other. It wasn’t too bad.

His mother would be glad to hear he’d finally met someone. The conversation was nearly the same every time they talked. Like last weekend, when he’d gone home to help her build a new dresser. He’d only managed to walk in, hug her, and go to the coffee maker before she’d started with her favorite subject.

“So, have you met anyone?” she asked with that familiar lilt in her voice.

“Mama! I haven’t even drunk my coffee yet,” Link said, laughing as he poured himself a cup. His mother smiled sweetly.

“You know I only ask out of love? I’m not as young as I once was. I’d like to have grandchildren before I’m so old and brittle that I can’t play with ‘em.”

Link laughed with her. He didn’t mind his mother’s questions. He wanted kids, too, and she knew that.

“You’re not that old, Mama. And no, sorry, haven’t met anyone since we last talked. Which was what...? Two days ago?”

His mother just waved at him dismissively.

“You’re too picky, darling. They don’t have to be perfect.”

Link sipped his coffee in silence, but he feared his mother might be right. He was well in his thirties already and still firmly in the single’s camp. All the other omegas he personally knew had paired up in their twenties; quickly snapped up by their respective partners. Most had children now. Link’s best friend Luke already had three! He knew he was an outlier. 

It certainly wasn’t because of a lack of potentials. Even if he weren’t an omega, Link knew he wouldn’t have problems getting a date. He wasn’t exactly self-centered, but he knew he was a good looking guy. With his piercing blue eyes, toned tall frame, and stylishly grayed hair, he could have his pick from a crowd of suitors. He just… hadn’t found the one yet. _Maybe I am overly-romantic. Maybe I should lower my standards._

“What about that cute guy you work with? What’s his name? John? Jonah?” Sue interrupted his thoughts.

“Jeremiah?” Link offered, frowning a bit.

“Yes! What about him? Loved talking with him at the picnic last summer!”

“Mama… He’s an omega.”

“Oh.” It was his mother’s turn to frown in disappointment.

“I mean, I guess we could adopt…” Link teased her. Sue slapped his arm with a mock-horrified expression.

“Don’t you dare, Charles Neal!”

Link laughed at her and she scrunched her nose at him, joining in the fun. Then her expression turned serious and she took Link’s hand between her own.

“You do know that I’m only kidding? If you fell for an omega… Baby, anyone you’d love, I would love as well.”

“I know, Mama. And I love you.”

Link smiled at the memory and tucked the loosened scarf tighter around his neck. The wind had picked up and turned from a light breeze to a biting howl. It was snowing more as well. 

When Link finally got to the top of the hill, his toes were freezing and he barely felt his nose anymore. As he looked at the valley below him, it started to dawn on him that his plan might have not been as great as he had thought.

The cabin was _far_ away.

Link could barely see it through the snowfall. And the way down didn’t exactly look like an easy hike. He stopped for a beat and glanced back towards the road. His footprints coming up the hill were almost gone, wiped out by the wind and the fast-gathering snow. A thought made his throat close up: _No one will know where I’ve gone_. 

What if something happened to him going down the mountain? No one would know where to look. He cursed quietly. He should’ve thought to leave a note in the car. 

Link swayed in place, trying to decide whether to turn back and walk to the cabin along the road or continue down the hill. _It’s so cold._ The leather gloves helped block the wind, but did nothing to keep the frost from biting his fingers. He could barely feel his thighs anymore; they were whipped numb by the frigid wind.

_I have to go on. I won’t make it there the long way. Gonna freeze to death on the side of the road..._

With the decision made, Link started his descent into the valley. Going down was much harder than going up. His shoes kept slipping, and more than once, he found himself in the freshly fallen snow.

“Ah, fuck!” he growled after _another_ slip and fall. He was laying on his back, feeling the bruises forming over his body; he’d be blue and purple tomorrow. His jeans were already drenched and the icy wetness was making the back of his thighs and his ass prickle painfully.

_I am an idiot. This was such a bad idea._

There was no turning back. The cabin was closer than the road. Link was trying not to think about the fact that he no longer saw it through the snowstorm. _I am going the right way. I have to be!_

He scrambled up and stomped forwards despite the bone-chilling cold.

\---

Link was not sure how long he’d been walking. Definitely longer than the hour he’d expected. The cold was all-consuming. His teeth clattered, and he had drawn his arms inside the jacket in a vain effort to warm himself. His whole body was trembling. He moved slower and slower with each step. It was hard to muster the energy to go on.

_One more step._

That was his mantra. One more step and then I’m gonna see the cabin. It has to be close. The wind whipped the snow against his numb face, forcing him to trek forwards blinded by it.

_One more step._

He was so tired. He imagined his knees giving out. The thought that had originally been nightmarish had little by little started to sound like a beautiful dream. He could just stop; stop walking; stop trying. He could just let his feet crumble under him. It would be such a relief. Just curling up in a ball and closing his eyes... 

_Maybe if I take a little nap, I’ll get enough energy to continue…_

The thought was tempting. Link rolled it around in his head, tasting the deceptive sweetness of it. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew there was no coming back from that nap, but even that didn’t make the idea any less compelling. 

_No! I have to keep walking. Think of Mama. Think of…_

Suddenly, the ground disappeared under his foot. His heart leapt to his throat at the feel of the step that wasn’t there. The wind blew away the sheet of snowfall and for a moment, he got a glimpse of the fall right in front of him. His stomach dropped as if he was already falling. He teetered on the edge of the cliff, his tired and numb muscles fighting a losing battle with gravity. 

Then, with a pathetic yelp he tilted forwards. He fell and fell and fell; his stomach lurching and his heart beating painfully against his ribcage. His feet thudding against the hillside. The return of ground beneath his feet gave him only a brief respite from the horror gripping him. 

The pain that followed was raw and profound. 

His body screamed and ached and trembled and then – a blessed darkness.


End file.
